Argentine singer, songwriter and actor (1918–1980)
Richard Benjamin Haymes (September 13, 1918 – March 28, 1980) was an Argentine singer, songwriter and actor. He was one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, an actor, television host, and songwriter.
Background
Haymes was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1918.[1][2] According to Haymes's obituary in the New York Times, "His father was a rancher of English descent and his Irish mother had been a musical comedy singer. His parents traveled widely and he grew up in France, Montreal, California and Switzerland."[3]
Career
At the age of 17, Haymes moved to Los Angeles where he initially worked as a stunt man and film double. At the age of 19, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a vocalist in a number of big bands.[4] On September 3, 1942, Frank Sinatra introduced Haymes on radio as Sinatra's replacement in the Tommy Dorsey band.[5][6] Prior to joining Dorsey's group, Haymes sang with the Harry James orchestra.[7]
He paired repeatedly with the Andrews Sisters on a dozen or so Decca collaborations, including the Billboard hit "Teresa", "Great Day", "My Sin", and a 1952 rendering of the dramatic ballad "Here in My Heart", backed by the sisters and Nelson Riddle's lush strings. His duets with Patty Andrews were also well received, both on Decca vinyl and on radio's Club Fifteen with the sisters, which he hosted in 1949 and 1950. He also joined Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters for 1947 session that produced the Billboard hit "There's No Business Like Show Business", as well as "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)". His popular renditions of tender ballads such as "Little White Lies" and "Maybe It's Because" were recorded with celebrated arranger Gordon Jenkins and his orchestra and chorus.[9]
World War II and attempted deportation
Haymes's birth in Argentina to non-U.S. citizens meant he was not an American citizen. In order to avoid military service during World War II, Haymes asserted his nonbelligerent status as a citizen of Argentina, which remained neutral until almost the end of the war. Hollywood-based columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper questioned Haymes' patriotism, but the story had little effect on his career. About that time, he was classified 4-F by the draft board because of hypertension. As part of his draft examination, he was confined for a short period to a hospital on Ellis Island, which confirmed his diagnosis of hypertension.[10]
In 1953, Haymes went to Hawaii (then a territory and, technically, not part of the United States) to visit Rita Hayworth (who he later married).[11] On returning to the mainland United States, he was arrested in August for deportation under the McCarran–Walter Act on the basis that Haymes refused to sign up for military service and therefore was not entitled to live in the United States.[12] After appeal, he won his battle to remain in the United States in 1955 on the basis that Hawaii was a geographical part of the United States so he had never left the country.[13]
Later years
Haymes experienced alcoholism and had serious financial problems later in life, by the early 1960s declaring bankruptcy with $500,000 in debts.[14]
He appeared as unscrupulous doctor Elroy Gantman in a 1974 episode of the TV show Adam-12.
Through his mother's nationality, Haymes spent his last years as an Irish citizen.[citation needed]
Marriages
Haymes was married six times. His first marriage to Edith Harper (1939) occurred when she claimed to be pregnant but was annulled by Haymes after he discovered that she was not.[15] Haymes wives included film actresses Joanne Dru (1941–1949), Nora Eddington (a former wife of Errol Flynn) (1949–1953), Rita Hayworth (1953–1955), and Fran Jeffries (1958–1964). Haymes had a total of six children—three with Joanne Dru, one with Fran Jeffries, and two with his sixth and final wife, British model Wendy Smith (1966).[3]
^Prigozy, Ruth (June 2006). The Life of Dick Haymes: No More Little White Lies. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-57806-551-6.
^See also Social Security Death Index for Richard Haymes (SS#113-05-9919). His birthdate was frequently incorrectly given as 1916.
^ a b"Singer Dick Haymes Dies". Washington Post. March 30, 1980. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
^ a b"Dick Haymes, 61, Dies of Cancer". Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal. Daytona Beach, Florida. March 30, 1980. p. 2C.
^Jonathan Schwartz program. August 31, 2013. WNYC-FM.
^Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 1, side A.
^"Orchestra Notes" (PDF). Billboard. January 3, 1942. p. 12. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
^Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
^Sforza, John: "Swing It! The Andrews Sisters Story;" University Press of Kentucky, 2000; 289 pages
^Prigozy, The Life of Dick Haymes, op cit, p. 48
^"Haymes Rebuffed in Ouster Battle". The New York Times. November 6, 1954. p. 36. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
^"U.S. Decision Due Today On Dick Haymes Matter". Variety. August 26, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved March 12, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
^"Haymes Wins Fight Over Deportation". The New York Times. June 1, 1955. p. 34. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
^Prigorzy, The Life of Dick Haymes, op cit, p. 177. "By the early sixties I was a desperate alcoholic. I had been forced into bankruptcy with a half million dollars in debts and no assets."
^Godfrey, Andrew (May 22, 2012). "Dick Haymes: Great Singer Wed Six Times, Plagued By Alcoholism and Debt". wordpress.com. Nostalgia and Now by A. Godfrey - Retired from newspaper work after 38 years. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
^Gilliland, John (October 10, 1972). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #12". UNT Digital Library.
^"Irish Eyes". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg Telegraph. March 13, 1948. p. 22. Retrieved August 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Those Were The Days". Nostalgia Digest. Vol. 40, no. 1. Winter 2014. pp. 32–39.
^Kirby, Walter (May 24, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 48. Retrieved June 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
Further reading
Prigozy, Ruth (June 2006). The Life of Dick Haymes: No More Little White Lies. University Press of Mississippi.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dick Haymes.